1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cargo nets, and more particularly concerns a tonneau net adapted to restrain cargo within the bed of a pick-up truck or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous cargo nets have been disclosed in the prior art. Various nets have been employed in attempts to restrain cargo upon pallets, within truck beds, upon ships, and within aircraft. Many vehicles, such as pick-up trucks, boats, trailers and the like include a cargo bed designed to receive and hold cargo of various types. For certain types of cargo, especially light cargo, it is necessary to hold the cargo in the cargo bed while the vehicle is traveling. Otherwise, the cargo may undesirably be blown over the cargo bed as the vehicle travels.
Various means for retaining the cargo in the cargo bed have earlier been disclosed. In one such means, the cargo is merely tied down by ropes, straps, cable, or the like. This particular method, however, is disadvantageous because it is time consuming and often not safe or wholly effective.
A still further type of cargo restraining device is disclosed for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,204 to Summers. The device comprises a net which is formed of elastic material. This net is then attached to the vehicle so that the net overlies and extends across the cargo bed of the vehicle. A primary disadvantage of the Summers cargo restraining device is that the net is easily damaged not only by the cargo, but also by the environment. Furthermore, since the net is directly attached to the vehicle by hooks or the like, a great deal of stress is imparted to the net at its sites of attachment to the vehicle. This in turn damages the net and results in premature failure of the cargo retaining device.
Another type of cargo restraining device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,934 to Ross. The Ross device is comprised of a tonneau-type truck bed cover fabricated from a substantially inelastic net having a plurality of longitudinal and transverse strands knotted at their respective intersections. Due to the inelastic nature of this net, its use is limited to the restraining of cargo which fits substantially within the confines of the truck bed. It is incapable of conforming to odd-shaped cargo. The Ross net is further limited to use wherein the truck tailgate is closed, thereby severely limiting the size and nature of cargo which may be restrained.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a cargo net adapted to restrain cargo within the bed of a pickup truck or the like.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cargo net of the aforesaid nature which easily conforms to a variety of cargo shapes and sizes.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a cargo net of the aforesaid nature which may be utilized with an open or closed tailgate.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a cargo net of the aforesaid nature which is durable and amenable to low cost manufacture.
These and other beneficial objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description.